January 6th, Friday - Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten

       

Some of you thought we had forgotten how to sail, we stayed in the Virgin Islands for so long!  Actually, there are still thousands of deserted beaches, great snorkeling spots and spectacular anchorages that we have yet to discover in the area.  We didn't make it to Anegada, St. Croix or Culebra.  We haven't gone diving yet.  We haven't spent any significant amount of time exploring the islands by land.  Luckily, we will have a chance to check some of these things off our list on our way back west.  For the time being, however, we are going to expand our horizons and explore the so-called Leeward Islands of the Caribbean for the next month or so.
The trip east to Sint Maarten (on the Dutch side of the island) or Saint Martin (on the French side) is dreaded by many a sailor.  There is a 2 knot current against you, and your course generally takes you directly into the wind.  Having learned to sail around the buoys on the racecourse in Annapolis, I actually like sailing upwind.  It is the most challenging point of sail, requiring precise sail trim and boat handling.  For the non-sailors among you, an upwind course takes you on a zigzag pattern towards the mark since you cannot sail directly into the wind.  The wind has to be at a 30 to 45 degree angle over the bow of the boat in order to make any forward progress.  The skill is in maximizing the boat's progress towards the mark on each of these zigzag legs, or tacks.    All that aside, as a cruiser, YOU NEVER SAIL UPWIND, or so I am told.  Generally, a long term cruising route will have you sailing with the wind at your back or on your beam (side) for the whole time.  These are the more comfortable and easiest points of sail.  Most of you know that I don't like being told that I can't do something just because it is hard to do, and Joe likes sailing upwind too, so we decided to go for it.
 
All this in mind, we kept an eye on the weather forecasts, looking for a 24 hour period of light wind, expecting to motor all or most of the way east to Sint Maarten rather than tacking back and forth in strong wind, taking waves over the bow and beating up the boat.  Wednesday/Thursday shaped up to be perfect, with 6 to 8 knots of wind from the east, northeast.  We planned the trip with Cenou, leaving the Bitter End around 2pm on Wednesday, stopping in Spanish Town to check out, and setting out east around 4pm.  There was still quite a swell from the east, and the kids complained mightily (I guess we need to move more often to keep them acclimated) but it was perfect fishing conditions.  Sunset and sunrise are feeding times, and I have become a little obsessed with my new hobby, so I threw two hand lines and rigged up the rod to see what we could catch.  Before we finished setting the first line, we snagged a fish.  Cassie was holding onto the line so I could add a bungee cord rig to the end of it to help us see when a fish was hooked.  She felt it hit and called me over to reel it in.  It was a nasty looking Barracuda with big jagged teeth and an evil look in its eye.  It was time to call Joe over to get it off the hook.  Mike, you'll notice I was wearing my lucky fishing hat!
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We didn't have any more luck that night with the fishing, but the wind and the waves continued to mellow as predicted, and we had a wonderful evening underway.  We were pleasantly surprised when the wind filled in from the north around midnight.  Joe rolled out the genoa, turned off the motor and we sailed the rest of the way.  That was a bonus!  We were making good time and actually needed to slow down a little so we would arrive when it was light, so when the breeze lightened up again in the early morning hours, we didn't worry and kept sailing.  We pulled out our 1994-1995 edition of the cruising guide and discovered that Philipsburg was the only place to check in on the Dutch side of the island.  We suspected that they might have added an immigration office in the large and popular Simpson Bay, so we hopped on the Caribbean 1500 radio chat on the SSB at 7:30.  Our rally contacts paid off again as we were told there was indeed an immigration office in Simpson Bay. 
 
At the first hint of light in the sky, I rigged up the fishing lines.  Cenou had managed to sail closer to the wind all night, and I was falling down below the island and the wind was disappearing so I tacked back north, sailing parallel to the shore for a while.  Cenou crossed in front of us, but kept sailing southeast into the dead wind.  My strategy paid off as the wind was steady where Zia was and we tacked over on the rhumb line for Simpson  Bay.  Just as we were reeling in the fishing lines before dropping the anchor, a spectacular Dorado hit the lure Joe was pulling in.  We saw it jump and try to shake the hook but it was solidly imbedded through its mouth.  It swam up behind the opposite hull of the boat, giving us a great view of itself as we reeled it in. 
 
I stayed with the girls and filleted our catch while Joe went in to clear us through immigration.  We cleaned up, invited Cenou over for a dinner of fresh fish in the evening, and went in to explore our new surroundings.  We saw some Caribbean 1500 friends, Dragonfly, at the dock.  They recommended a great restaurant for breakfast, Zee Best.  We were pleasantly surprised by the quality and prices of the food.  One thing about the Virgin Islands, whether British or US, the food was extremely expensive.  We can't wait to get to the French side of the island where the meals promise to be even more spectacular.  I'm not sure how this all fits into the New Year's diet resolution, but we'll worry about that later! 
 
On the "it isn't all fun and games" side of the story, Joe had to work on the head today and fix the dinghy seat.  I'm getting totally sick of the fridge and freezer on the boat.  For those of you who haven't seen the set up, there is a heavy top that you have to lift straight up in order to get into each of them.  Inside we have three crates that hold our provisions.  Naturally, no matter what you are going for (unless it is beer), it is in the very bottom crate!  You have to lift them all out, dig out the desired item, and lift them back in.  Of course, just as you finish replacing the lid, you realize that your forgot to get out the ....  The freezer is getting ready for another defrosting, so it is especially hard to get the crates in and out.

We are back on track with school, after taking time off while we had guests.  We finished lesson 58 today, out of 160.  I told Cassie that we have to get going or she won't have much of a summer vacation.  She replied, "Mom, every day is a summer vacation."  We live a totally spoiled life, but I always think that we can justify it as long as we make the most of it.  It thrills me that the kids show an appreciation for it as well.

Love,
Christy, Joe, Cassie and Juliana
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